An international study published in the journal Current Biology, involving 36 researchers and including two Portuguese, assessed to what extent the perception of beauty of European butterflies influences the scientific attention, funding, and legal protection that each species receives. The study was led by Leonardo Dapporto and Mariagrazia Portera, from the University of Florence, in Italy, and coordinated in Portugal by Tatiana Moreira and Eduardo Marabuto, from the National Museum of Natural History and Science and the BioLiving Association.
To determine which butterflies are considered most and least attractive, scientists launched an online survey available in seven languages, which collected more than 21,000 responses from over 100 countries. Portugal was the fourth country with the most responses, approximately 600. Participants evaluated nine images of butterflies on a scale of zero to ten, which allowed the creation of a Species Beauty Index for 492 species, practically all of Europe's diurnal butterflies. The highest-ranked butterflies had primary colors, especially blue and yellow, color contrasts on the wings, and elongated wings with leaf-like margins or tails.
The researchers then cross-referenced these evaluations with data from scientific publications, public attention on platforms such as iNaturalist and Flickr, legal protection through the Bern Convention and the Habitats Directive, and conservation status from the IUCN Red List. The result showed that the more colorful, contrasting, and ornamented the butterfly was, the more research, public attention, and legal protection it received, without exception. The researchers speak of a "snowball effect," in which the most showy butterflies were legally protected first, subsequently benefiting from more funding through the LIFE program and more scientific research.
The study also revealed that the most threatened species are often discreet and dark butterflies, especially alpine ones, which have been ignored by science and conservation laws. The researchers warn that decisions made decades ago continue to influence the distribution of resources, regardless of the actual risk of extinction. Tatiana Moreira and Eduardo Marabuto suggest that the most beautiful species can be used as flagships to protect habitats where less attractive species also occur, and that the next step should be to investigate whether a similar bias exists in the research and conservation of nocturnal butterflies.
